The invention of the vacuum cleaner, which takes up dust, dirt, or other small debris by suction, has no doubt made cleaning of carpets, floors, upholstery and the like much easier and much faster.
However, pushing a vacuum cleaner around the surface to be cleaned, especially from one room to another, can still be a very demanding task for young children and infirm or older people because of the weight of the machine and the friction between the machine and the surface to be cleaned. Actually, the cleaning efficiency of even a strong person can be greatly improved if the need to push around the vacuum cleaner can be eliminated.
Another major drawback of a vacuum cleaner is that proper routine maintenance of the cleaning machine, such as replacement of a worn belt, is usually required and that can be both tedious and time consuming.
To avoid the aforementioned problems associated with mobile vacuum cleaners, people have resorted to central vacuum cleaning systems. A standard central vacuum cleaning system basically comprises a central electrical vacuum pump, a central dust collecting tank with filters, duct-work connected to the pump and the tank with at least one outlet in each room. By plugging a hose fitted with suitable accessories, into the outlet in each room, all the carpets or floors of a house or building can be cleaned without the need of pushing a machine around from one room to another.
For a central vacuum cleaning system to perform properly, accessories such as flexible hoses, extension wands, rug and upholstery nozzles, brushes, and the like are required. For convenience, it is advisable to have all these accessories stored in a single container or holder so that they can be retrieved readily. Also, to save space, it is highly desirable that this container or holder be of the wall inset type.